Practice-tube adapter for quick-firing guns



A. T,.-' DAWSONAND G. T. BUCKHAM. PRACTICE TUBE ADAPTER FOR QUICK FIRING GUNS.

APPLICATION F-ILED SEPT. 20. I922.

Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

3 SHEETSSHEET I 0rd W1 Ia?! A. T. DAWSON AND G. T. BUCKHAM. PRACTICE TUBE ADAPTER FOR QUICK FIRING GUNS.

APPLICATION FILED EPT. 20, I922.

Patented Dc. 5, 1922;,

3 SHEET$SHEET 2 A. T. DAWSON AND G..-T. BUCKHAM. PRACTICETUBE ADAPTER FOB QUICK FIRING GUNS APPLICATION men SEPT. 29. 1922.

a SHEETS-SHEET a1 Patented Dec. 5, 1922.

r "r s PART ()FFICE.

ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON AND GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, OF,WEST1VIINS TER, LONDON, ENGLAND, ASSIGNORS TO VICKERS LIMITED, OF WESTMINSTER, LONDON, ENGLAND, A BRITISH COMPANY. t

PRACTICE-TUBE ADAPTER roR QUICK-FIRING Guns.-

Application filed September 20, 1922. Serial No. 589,334.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we Sir ARTHUR TRnvoR DAwsoN, bart, and ir GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM, knight, both subjects of the King of Great Britain, residing at Vickers House, Broadway, Westminster, in the county of London, England, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in or Relating to Practice-Tube Adapters for Quick-Firing Guns, of which the following is a specifica tion.

This invention relates to ordnance having breech mechanism of the wedgeor sliding block type and has for its object to provide improved means for detachably holding a small-calibre practice tube within the bore of the gun, the said practice tube provided with its own breech or bolt mechanism and firing mechanism as is well understood.

According to the present invention the practice tube is held in position longitudinally within the bore of the gun by means of catches adapted to engage with the-rear walls of the grooves in the breech recess in which the breech block slides. Adevice may be provided for forcing the practice tube and its associated parts rearwards so as to ensure proper contact between the catches and the rear walls of the grooves in which the breech block slides and this device is so constructed and arranged that when it is in the operative condition it positively holds the said catches in their operative position.

In order that the said invention may be clearly understood and readily carried into effect the same will-now be described more fully with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figures 1, 2 and 3 are respectively a rear elevation, a vertical longitudinal section and a plan of the breech end of a gun provided with a practice tube constructed according to our invention.

Figures 4a and 5 are local sections taken approximately on the lines 4, 4 and 5, 5 of Figures 3 and 1.

Figure 6 is a side elevation on a larger scale of a detail hereinafter referred to, and

Figure 7 is a section taken approximately on the line 7 7 of Figure 6.

A represents the breech end of thegun. B represents the breech recess in which the breech block slides, B", B represent the aforesaid grooves in the breech recess, C represents the practice tube and D, D represent the aforesaid catches engaging with the rear walls of the grooves B, B to hold the practice tube in position longitudinally within the bore of the gun. f

In the construction shown the practice tube is constituted by the barrel of a service rifle which barrel is used complete with the bolt action of the rifle. The sear E of the trigger mechanism of this bolt action is shown as being arranged to be actuated at will either by an electro-magnet E or by a lanyard attached to a lever E suitably connected to the sear in the manner described in the specification of our prior Patent No. 241 of 1906. The rifle is carried by a sleeve or adapter F which is made so that it fits in the gap formed in the rear wall of the breech recessB for the passage of cartridges when loading the gun and has a foot piece F resting upon the lower wall of this gap as shown in'Figure 2; The said adapter also has a forwardly extending cup-shaped-mem-, ber F which fits in the cartridge chamber of the gun and serves, in conjunction with the aforesaid foot piece, to centre the practice tube with respect to the bore of the gun. The adapter F is attached to the rifle by means of a'clip made in two parts G, G, the lower part G of which engages with the existing lug C on the rifle. Thevsaid clip encircles part .of the rifle barrel and is screwed into the rear part of the adapter so that the shock of firing is transmitted through the rifle lug C to the clip G, G and from the latter through the screw threads to the adapter F. The two parts of the said clip are held together by the engagement of the screw threads with the adapter and abox or casing E in which the electro-magnet E is mounted is held in position by means of a'screw E The aforesaid catches D, D are, in the construction shown, in the form of spring controlled plungers mounted transversely in the adapter F and controlled by a compression spring D which is common to both the plungers. The front surfaces of these plungers are preferably curved or bevelled as shown so that the plungers will be forced inwards against the resistance of their spring'by the engagement of the said surfaces with the rear walls of the breech recess' during the insertion of the practice tube wards so as to "ensure pre'per' attract between the spring plungers D, the rear walls of the grooves B, B. This device in the example shownis in the form of a spindle I having a screw-threaded. portion which engages with a nut ,F" on the aforesaid adapter F, this spindle having at its forward end a revolvableshoe H adapted to press against the breech face of the gun; thus when the said spindle is revolved by means .of a handle H provided at its rear end, the practice tube and its parts can be forced rearwards as stated abeve. The said nut F is trunnioned at f, f* to enable the spindle H to be turned from the operative position in which part of it lies between the aforesaid finger pieces Z, d of the spring controlled plungers D, D to positively hold the latter in their engaging position, into an inoperative position which the spindle is clear of the said finger pieces so as to enable the said plungers to be moved out of engagement with the aforesaid grooves B, B for the removal of the practice tube and its parts The above described practice tube is used in the gun without the gunbreech mechanism having to be dismantled or modified in any way, the breech actuating mechanism being merely operated to shiftthe. breech block into a partly open position clear of the adapter F so as to enable the latter to be placed in position.

lVhat we claim and, desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. The combination with a smalLcalibre practice tube for use in a gun having breech mechanism of the sliding blocktype, of look ing means for engaging with the rear walls of the grooves in the breech recess in which the breech block slides.

2. The combination with a small-calibre practice tube for usein a gun having breech mechanism of 'the sliding block type, of locking catches for engaging with the rear walls of the grooves in thebreech recess in which the breech block slides.

3. The combination with a small-calibre practice tube for use in a gun having breech mechanism of the "sliding block type, of spring controlled locking catches for engaging with the rear walls of the grooves in the breech recess in which the breech block slides. V

4;. The combination with a small-calibre practice tube for use in a gun having breech mechanism of'the'sliding-block type, of locking catches for engaging with the rear Walls of the grooves in the breech recess in which the breech block slides and a device for forcing said practlce tube rearwards so as to ensure iprop'e'r contact between said catches and "mechanism of theslid-ing block type, of

locking catches for engaging with the rear walls oft'hegrooves in the breech recess in Which the breech block slides, a device for forcing said practic'ejtube ream eras so as to ensure ',proper contact between, said catches and said rear. walls, and means whereby said device, when inits operative position, positively holds said catches in their..engaging position. I

6. The combination with a small-calibre practice tube for use in agun having breech mechanism of the sliding block type, of spring-controlled locking catches for engaging with the rear walls of the grooves in the breech recess in which the breech block slides and a device for forcing said practice tube rearwards so as to ensure proper contact between'said catches and said rear walls. 7. The combination with a small-calibre practice tube for use in agun having breech mechanism of the sliding block type, of spring controlled locking catches for engaging with the rear walls of the grooves in the breech recess in which the breech block slides, a device for forcing said :practice tube rearwards so as to ensure proper contact between said catches and said rear walls, and means whereby said device, whenin its operative position, positively holds said catches in their engaging position.

8. The combination with a small-calibre practice tube for use in a gun having breech mechanism of the sliding block type, of locking catches for engaging with the rear walls of the grooves in the breech recess in which the breech block slides, a screw-threaded spindle for hearing at its forward end against part of the gun and a trunnioned nut in which said spindle engages, the rear part of said spindle being so formed that it will positively hold said catches in the engaging position when said spindle is moved to the operative position.

v 9. The combination with a small-calibre practice tube for use in a gun having breech mechanism of "the sliding block type, of spring-controlled locking catches for engaging with the rear walls of the grooves in the breech recess in which the breech block slides, a screw-threaded spindle for hearing at its forward end against part of theg'un and a trunnioned nut in which said'spindle engages, the rear part of said spindle being so formed thatit will positively hold said catches in the e'rigagingposition whensaid spindle is'movedto the operative position 10. A practice tube adapted for use in a gun having breech mechanism of the sliding block type, said adapter being intended ing block type, said adapter being intended to receive a practice tube constituted by the to receive a practice tube constituted by barrel of a service rifle, in combination With the barrel of a service rifle, in combination spring-controlled locking catches carried by with locking means carried by said adapter said adapter for engaging with the rear 15 for engaging With the rear Walls of the Walls of the grooves inthe breech recess in grooves in the breech recess in which the which the breech block slides. breech block slides.

11. A practice tube adapter for use in a ARTHUR TREVOR DAWSON. l0 gun having breech mechanism of the slid- GEORGE THOMAS BUCKHAM. 

